May 16, 2023
Maria Lundell (Master of Arts) will join the Blastr Green Steel Management Team as EVP People & Culture at Blastr Green Steel as of August 1, 2023.
In her role, Maria will drive Blastr´s organizational development by building a sustainable culture. This includes developing and implementing strategies to attract, retain, and engage talent that shares the company's values and identifies with Blastr´s purpose to contribute to a sustainable future and a healthier planet.
“I´m very pleased to have Maria join our leadership team. With her deep experience in developing HR functions in international organizations, she´s a perfect fit to lead efforts to create a diverse and inclusive workplace culture based on our values of innovativeness, transparency, dependability, and challenging the status quo. With Maria leading our people and culture initiatives, I`m confident that we will be able to attract and retain top talent and create a workplace culture that supports our mission”, says Hans Fredrik Wittusen, CEO of Blastr Green Steel.
Maria joins Blastr from Stora Enso Oyj where she has served as SVP, People & Culture in the Paper Division since 2017.
“I am excited to join the Blastr team on its journey to decarbonize the steel value chain and be a part of its sustainable, valuable growth story. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop something new in a highly talented team. I would like to thank Hans Fredrik for trusting me and for the possibility to be involved in this dynamic undertaking”, says Maria Lundell.
For more information, please contact:
General media inquiries regarding the Blastr Green Steel Project:
Minna Sundelin, Communications Advisor to Blastr
Fama Consulting Oy Ltd, +358 40 582 2750, minna@fama.fi
Maria Lundell
May 15, 2023
Birgitte Jourdan-Andersen appointed as Vice President of Legal and Compliance
Birgitte Jourdan-Andersen (Cand Jur, LLM on Energy and Environment Law from University of Leuven and LLM of European Legal Studies from College of Europe) has been appointed as Vice President of Legal and Compliance as of June 5 2023.
Birgitte has worked for 23 years with energy, environment and climate policy/legislation in different EU/EEA institutions, the renewable business, and as a Partner in one of the biggest Nordic law firms. Regulatory oversight and ESG will be of essence in building the production of green steel and the value chain of Blastr.
- I am so excited to be part of Blastr. When I came into contact with this company, I saw my whole professional life in a film where I could use the expertise I have obtained in developing, funding, and regulating renewable energy and green industry with my in-depth knowledge of ESG, says Birgitte Jourdan-Andersen.
- We are very happy to have Birgitte joining the Blastr team. Her skills and experience will be fundamental for the success of Blastr, in a market environment where regulations, ESG, taxonomy and soft funding are key ingredients for ensuring compliance and value creation, says Hans-Fredrik Wittusen, CEO of Blastr Green Steel.
Birgitte will join Blastr from being a Partner in Schjødt where she advised clients on regulations and business strategies regarding the Green Transition, working both in the Energy and the Compliance Department. Prior to Schjødt, Birgitte was employed by the EFTA Secretariat, DG Energy, the EFTA Surveillance and the Head of the Brussels office of Energy Norway/Renewable Norway (Energi Norge/Fornybar Norge). She started her career as a lawyer in the law firm Arntzen de Besche.
For more information, please contact:
General media inquiries regarding the Blastr Green Steel Project:
Minna Sundelin, Communications Advisor to Blastr
Fama Consulting Oy Ltd, +358 40 582 2750, minna@fama.fi
Birgitte Jourdan-Andersen
March 9, 2023
Blastr expands green steel value chain to Norway
Blastr Green Steel plans to invest in an iron ore pellet plant in Gildeskål municipality in Northern Norway. The plant will supply the company’s recently announced green steel plant in Inkoo, Finland.
“The world needs massive amounts of steel. However, the traditional coal-based processes make steel production one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The steel industry accounts for about 8 percent of global CO2 emissions, as one ton of steel produced creates around 2 tons of CO2. The decarbonizing of steel production is a key enabler for the green transition, says Hans Fredrik Wittusen,” CEO of Blastr Green Steel.
The planned facility in Gildeskål will convert iron ore pellet feed into so-called high-quality direct reduction pellets, which are used as raw material for green steel production. The power needed for the process will be based on hydropower, and Blastr is now in discussions about long-term power contracts. The location is considered beneficial as it provides an ice-free harbour with easy access to seaborne iron ore from the Norwegian Sea.
The plant will provide 120 jobs when operational, in addition to significant indirect employment opportunities and economic effects for the municipality and the region. The investment in Gildeskål is estimated at more than EUR 1 billion.
Large-scale project for Nordic green industry
The pellet plant in Gildeskål will supply raw materials for Blastr’s planned green steel plant in Inkoo, Finland, where coal is replaced by green hydrogen in the steel production process. In total, this will be one of the largest industrial projects in the Nordic region. Pellets from the Gildeskål site will be a key part of Blastr’s green steel value chain, where the aim is to reduce CO2 emissions from steel production by 95 per cent.
“Our planned pellet plant in Gildeskål will supply Blastr’s production of low-carbon steel in Finland as well as a significant and growing world market for direct reduction pellets. Therefore, this project will be an important contributor to decarbonizing global steel production,” says Wittusen.
A final investment decision is expected in 2025, subject to relevant permits and agreements. The plant is tentatively planned to start production in 2028.
For more information, please contact:
CEO Hans Fredrik Wittusen, +47 90 18 09 44, hfw@blastr.no
3D of pellet plant in Gildeskål
Hans Fredrik Wittusen, CEO Blastr Green Steel
Photo: Foto Bakery
March 8, 2023
Carina Hedberg to join Blast Green Steel Oy as Head of Business Development and Sustainability
Carina Hedberg (Executive MBA, MSc Business and Economic) has been appointed as Head of Business Development and Sustainability at Blastr Green Steel Oy as of 1 April.
Carina has a strong track record in various business disciplines that combines new business development, green finance, and sustainability. These are all necessary areas in setting up Blastr´s Finnish operations and developing a green steel plant and an integrated hydrogen production facility in Inkoo, Finland.
- I´m thrilled to join the Blastr team on its journey to accelerate the transition to decarbonized steel. As a resident in Inkoo I look very much forward to working towards the actualization of this project that will bring new jobs and well-being to Inkoo as well as more broadly to the whole of Finland, says Carina Hedberg.
- We are delighted to have Carina on board and to have her join the growing Blastr team at an early stage of the project. Her versatile skills will support the building of the Blastr organization in Finland and the ramp-up of its operations. Carina will also play an important role in engaging with our local stakeholders, says Antti Kaikkonen, Managing Director of Blastr Green Steel Oy.
Carina will join Blastr from Greenstep where she has worked as Senior Advisor, Sustainability. She has further gained experience as a partner in KPMG, CFO in Tammet and finance advisor in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
For more information, please contact:
General media inquiries regarding the Blastr Green Steel Project:
Minna Sundelin, Communications Advisor to Blastr
Fama Consulting Oy Ltd, +358 40 582 2750, minna@fama.fi
Carina Hedberg
February 20, 2023
Sten Ångström appointed as Principal Metallurgist
We are pleased to announce another key appointment in our team: Sten Ångström has joined Blastr Green Steel as Principal Metallurgist as of 20 February 2023. He will have a key role in developing the green steel plant in Inkoo evaluating its equipment and processes.
Sten (MSc in Metallurgical Engineering) has over 40 years of experience in the steel industry, working in various positions at Swerim (former MEFOS), SSAB, OVAKO, DANIELI, and Primetals (former SIEMENS-VAI). His focus has been on steelmaking, R&D, production, project development studies, investment projects, and commissioning. As a metallurgical expert, Sten brings Blastr his deep insight into both equipment suppliers and steel plant operators. Sten is based in Sweden and will be reporting to CTO Mikael Lindvall.
Sten Ångström
January 18, 2023
Antti Kaikkonen appointed as Managing Director of Blastr Green Steel in Finland
Antti Kaikkonen (MSc in Finance and Electrical Engineering) has been appointed as Managing Director of Blastr Green Steel Oy (Blastr) as of 1 March 2023. In this role, Antti will be responsible for, among others, building the local team and leading it in developing a green steel plant and an integrated hydrogen production facility in Inkoo, Finland.
- I am excited to join the Blastr team on its journey to decarbonize the steel industry. In addition to contributing to accelerating the energy transition, the project will bring new jobs, positive benefits and well-being to the whole of Southwestern Finland. I look forward to developing the project in close dialogue with the local people, partners and stakeholders, said Antti Kaikkonen, incoming Managing Director of Blastr Green Steel Oy.
Before joining Blastr, Antti worked for the leading Nordic energy company Fortum for nearly 19 years where he led large development projects for power-intensive industries in Finland with a strong focus on sustainability.
- I´m very pleased to have Antti on our team. He brings us valuable experience in the Finnish energy industry and in decarbonizing their processes. With Antti on board, we will be able to further strengthen the good collaboration with our key partners, such as Fortum, said Hans Fredrik Wittusen, the CEO of Blastr Green Steel.
For more information, please contact:
General media inquiries regarding the Blastr Green Steel Project:
Minna Sundelin, Communications Advisor to Blastr
Fama Consulting Oy Ltd, +358 40 582 2750, minna@fama.fi
Antti Kaikkonen, Managing Director, Blastr Green Steel Oy (1 March onwards), antti.kaikkonen@blastr.no, +358 50 453 6308
Antti Kaikkonen
January 16, 2023
Viktor Forss and Mikael Lindvall to join Blastr Green Steel
We are pleased to announce the strengthening of the Management Team with appointment of Viktor Forss and Mikael Lindvall.
Viktor Forss will join us as EVP Nordics on the 10th of April. He will focus on the development of our organization and our project portfolio with its needed infrastructure in the Nordics. Viktor brings Blastr his extensive experience in building businesses within the Renewable Energy sector across the Nordics. He currently works as Vice President Nordics at VEO.
Mikael Lindvall will start as Chief Technology Officer on the 6th of February. Mikael, with his expertise in iron- and steel making, will be in a central role in managing the technology aspects in the development of our green steel production plant in Finland and pelletizing plant in Norway.
Mikael has more than 15 years of working experience from the metal industry and is currently working as technology specialist and project manager at AFRY, in the global competence line for mining and metal industry.
Mikael´s experience is highly valuable and relevant for Blastr due to his involvement in the development of other projects aiming for low-carbon emission steel production.
Viktor Forss
Mikael Lindvall
Four-billion-euro investment planned into a green steel plant in Inkoo, Finland
January 3, 2023
Norwegian company Blastr Green Steel (Blastr) is planning to establish a green steel plant with an integrated hydrogen production facility in Inkoo, Finland. Blastr has entered into a Letter of Intent with Nordic energy company Fortum that provides Blastr exclusive rights to utilize an existing industrial site located in Inkoo. The four-billion-euro investment is expected to create up to 1,200 direct jobs in the operations phase. The production is planned to start by end of 2026.
Green steel is a key enabler for the green transition, as it will be a critical raw material for developing renewable energy infrastructure, such as wind turbines, as well as in segments such as construction, the automotive industry, and consumer goods. In Europe alone, the demand for decarbonized steel is expected to reach 50 million tons by 2030, nearly one-third of the current European steel demand.
Blastr´s project will be among the largest industrial investments in Finland
The green steel plant together with the integrated hydrogen facility will be among the largest industrial investments planned in Finland to date.
Blastr aims to cut the CO₂ emissions of its end products by 95 percent
The steel industry produces about eight percent of the world's CO₂ emissions due to the high amount of fossil fuels used to manufacture steel through conventional methods. Currently, one ton of steel produced creates about 1.9 tonnes of CO₂. Blastr will replace coke and coal with hydrogen in the chemical reduction phase, as well as reduce the CO₂ footprint along the entire value chain, with the aim of achieving 95 percent lower CO₂ emissions, compared to the conventional manufacturing process.
The steel plant is planned to produce two and a half million tons of high-quality hot and cold-rolled green steel annually.
Further information:
Markku Kivistö, Head of Industry Cleantech, Invest in Finland, Business Finland, +358 50 486 2704, markku.kivisto@businessfinland.fi
Salla Salovaara, Head of International PR and Media, Business Finland, +358 40 526 0100, salla.salovaara@businessfinland.fi
General media inquiries regarding the Blastr Green Steel Project: Minna Sundelin, Communications Consultant, Fama Consulting Oy Ltd, +358 40 582 2750, minna@fama.fi
Hans Fredrik Wittusen, CEO, Blastr Green Steel, +47 90 18 09 44, hfw@blastr.no
Robert Nyman, Mayor of Inkoo, Municipality of Inkoo, +358 40 149 3762, robert.nyman@inga.fi
Invest in Finland
helps foreign companies identify business opportunities in Finland, produces information on Finland as an investment destination, and enhances and coordinates national efforts to attract investment by actively networking with regional and international entities. Invest in Finland also collects and updates information about foreign-owned companies in Finland. Invest in Finland is part of Business Finland.
www.investinfinland.fi
Business Finland
is the Finnish government organization for innovation funding and trade, travel, and investment promotion. Business Finland’s over 760 experts work in over 40 offices globally and in 16 regional offices around Finland. Business Finland is part of the Team Finland network.
www.businessfinland.fi
Businessfinland.com
Blastr Green Steel
is dedicated to decarbonizing the steel value chain through developing local, sustainable and scalable value chains for steel production. By utilizing local raw materials and fossil-free energy and applying circular economy thinking throughout the value chain, Blastr aims to cut the CO2 emissions of its end products by 95% compared to conventional methods. The company will establish a pelletizing plant in Norway and a green steel plant with an integrated hydrogen production facility in Finland and is expected to become one of the largest industry start-ups in the Nordic region. Blastr was founded in 2021 and is part of Vanir Green Industries.
www.blastr.no
Vanir Green Industries (VGI)
is a Nordic business builder and investment company that builds and scales leading, sustainable, robust, and profitable companies that will help accelerate the energy transition. VGI was founded by Tore Ivar Slettemoen, who also founded NYSE listed Freyr Batteries. In addition to Blastr, the VGI portfolio consists of Removr developing solutions for capturing and storing CO₂; Freija developing technology for producing green methane and Njordr focusing on onshore and offshore wind power projects. Njordr´s subsidiary Nordi develops renewable energy projects in Finland.
www.vaniras.no
The municipality of Inkoo
is located in Uusimaa, 55 km west of Helsinki, along good transport links. The bilingual municipality has approximately 5,400 inhabitants. The level of education and employment of the population of Inkoo is good. According to Finnish entrepreneurs, the municipality is very entrepreneur-friendly. Due to its location and beautiful nature, Inkoo is also a very popular leisure municipality, where a significant number of leisure apartments are located.
www.inkoo.fi
Challenging the status-quo through developing local, decarbonized and scalable value chains for steel production.
Blastr Green Steel was established in 2021 with the aim of becoming an integrated green steel producer leveraging Nordic advantages. By utilising local raw materials and fossil free energy and applying a circular economy thinking throughout the value chain, we aim to cut the CO2 emissions of our end products by 95%.
Blastr Green Steel and Cargill Metals sign MOU for supply of green steel and to advance decarbonization of the ferrous supply chain.
OSLO, NORWAY, Oct 17, 2022
Cargill’s metals business and Blastr Green Steel AS (“Blastr”), a developer of decarbonized steel supply, have agreed to work together to supply steel made without use of fossil fuels in the Nordic region to meet growing global demand for green steel. Both companies share an ambition to drive significant reductions of carbon emissions in the steel industry.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”), Blaster and Cargill Metals plan to combine the skills of both companies to accelerate the development of projects that enable significant carbon savings to the global steel industry. Cargill Metals brings expertise in raw materials sourcing, and Cargill’s global capabilities in ocean transportation and logistics, as well as development of green products for market, risk management and financing facilities. Blastr contributes its industrial decarbonization expertise, entrepreneurial business skills, track record and access to capital within green energy and CO2 abatement. Blastr also brings regional knowledge of sites, opportunities and local support.
Cargill’s ambition is to develop world leading projects in the green steel supply chain through the expedient development of initial production and then incrementally expand capacity based on market demand. Separately, independent market analysis suggests a market shortfall in supply, with global demand for low carbon steel likely to increase from below 5mt in 2021 to 200mt in 2030, with European demand increasing to nearly 40mt by that date, driven by automotive and construction sectors.
“Solving the decarbonization challenge of the steel industry requires new and innovative partnerships,” said Lee Kirk, Managing Director, Cargill Metals, “We are thrilled to partner with Blastr and collaborate on bringing meaningful carbon reduction to this vital to abate sector. It brings us one step closer to our goal of shaping a responsible and sustainable ferrous supply chain that helps the world thrive.”
"Ensuring the long-term supply of raw materials at required quantity and quality is crucial for providing green steel to the market with an absolute minimum of CO2 emissions through the entire value chain,” said Dag Moxnes, CEO at Blastr. “Cargill offers a unique combination of access to regional raw materials, expertise, network and logistics solutions, which brings us a long step closer to realizing our joint Nordic green steel project."
The next phase of the cooperation will focus on final technology selection, access to green power, location and the final mix of products. Teams from Blastr and Cargill Metals will collaborate on sustainable supply chains, speed to market, technology risks and constraints, and on raising capital to finance the project development.
For further information, contact:
Dag Moxnes, CEO, Bastr Green Steel
Phone: +47 905 28 622
E-mail: dag.moxnes@blastr.no
Bridget Christenson, Cargill
Phone: +1 952 742 0052
E-mail: bridget_christenson@cargill.com
About Blastr
Blastr aims to decarbonize the steel industry, by creating an integrated green steel producer leveraging Nordic advantages. By utilising local raw materials and fossil free energy and applying a circular economy thinking throughout the value chain, we aim to cut the CO2 emissions of our end products by 95%. We will establish production facilities in the Nordic Region, with its ambitious political energy transition agenda, deep ice-free ports giving access to the attractive European markets, and highly qualified workforce. The Blastr green steel project is expected to be one of the largest industry start-ups in the Nordic region.
Blastr is founded and backed by Vanir Green Industries (“VGI”), a Nordic investment company that invests in, develops and scales green, robust and profitable businesses needed to accelerate the energy transition. VGI is established by Tore Ivar Slettemoen, one of the founders of Freyr Batteries (NYSE: FREY), and managed by a team of experienced professionals with deep industrial competence and a genuine drive to build a more sustainable future. Our focus areas are onshore and offshore wind development, carbon capture, usage and storage, energy storage and deep decarbonisation of existing industries.
For more information, visit blastr.no
About Cargill
Cargill helps the world’s food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients and families with daily essentials—from the foods they eat to the floors they walk on. Our 155,000 team members around the world innovate with purpose, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, sustainable way.
From feed that reduces methane emissions to waste-based renewable fuels, the possibilities are boundless. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing. It’s how we’ve met the needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home for 157 years—and how we’ll do so for generations to come.
For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center
About Cargill Metals
Headquartered in Singapore, Cargill’s metals business provides value-add services and solutions along the global ferrous supply chain. Combining over 150 years track record of risk management in global commodities markets with more than 40 years unique insights in the ferrous industry, we provide our customers the support they need to thrive. We connect iron ore miners around the world with steel mills in key markets and provide a broad range of services from technical marketing to customized risk management solutions along the supply chain including to end users of steel.
With around 130 dedicated experts, an established global network and hubs in China, Singapore, U.K. and Vietnam to serve our customers, Cargill operates across over 25 ports and more than 50 warehouses globally, providing physical and financial solutions to over 2,500 customers in 40 countries. Each year we move around 50 million tons of physical iron ore and 6 million tons of physical steel globally.
For more information, visit Cargill Metals or Cargill.com.
Adress: Fornebuveien 1, 1366 Lysaker, NO
Email: post@blastr.no
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